


Glitter and Gold

by orphan_account



Series: Konoha Akinori is a Figure Skater [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M, The Owls Are So Important, Volleyball, What a good team, figure skating, volleyball is only loosely mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 10:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10384656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The Championship is over, and Fukurodani is headed to Nationals. Now it's time for the second most stressful event of Konoha Akinori's competitive sports career: his divisional figure skating competition. Luckily for him, his wonderful boyfriend and not-so-secret good luck charm has agreed to come support him.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hatakaashi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hatakaashi/gifts).



> I wrote a Sequel to Smooth Ice, Fairy Lights because I was sad and nothing bad happens here. Also I just love the idea of the owls supporting each other. 
> 
> Also! The two songs that Konoha skates to in this are Glitter and Gold by Barnes Courtney and History Maker from Yuri on Ice! (shhhhhhhh). I know the length of the songs doesn't match the actual program length requirements but I don't care because this is fiction and I'll do what I want.

Keiji looked up at the venue, the excitement pulsing in his chest a different kind than the feeling before the Championship match. The weight of the medal in his bag was a meaningless distraction now that he was here. He took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare for what was undoubtedly to be the sight of his life, before heading over to the ticketing booth.

“Akaagajkl;shii!!”

Keiji froze in place, turning at the familiar voice. Bokuto was running up from behind, with what appeared to be the rest of the regulars of the volleyball team in tow.They sprinted through the event-goers, screeching to a halt in front of his passive gaze.

“So this is where you ran off to!” Bokuto exclaimed. “We were all waiting and saw you sneak off, so we followed you!”  
“Is this where Konoha is, too?” Komi was asking. “That’d make hunting you both down a lot easier.”  
“Bokuto-san, why are you here?” Keiji asked slowly, folding his arms across his chest. Sensing his annoyance, Bokuto stiffened, and took a step back.

“W-we just wanted to all go out and celebrate, right? Since we’re going to Nationals and all…” Bokuto was saying, the other third years nodding behind him. “We can’t celebrate as a team if two of our most valuable players are missing!”

Keiji sighed and deflated, not seeing the point in being upset. They’re intentions were pure, after all. It was just a matter of poor timing. Poor timing and bad luck. 

“Hey, Akaashi, what are _you_ doing here?” Komi asked, suddenly seeming to realize that this situation was unusual. The others also seemed to realize this and leaned in, narrowing their eyes in suspicion. Keiji took an instinctive step back.  
“Yeah, what _are_ you doing here, Akaashi?” Bokuto questioned, raising a brow and planting his fists on his hips.  
“It looks like there’s some kind of event going on here,” Onaga stated, looking around at the venue and the amounts of people. Sarukui was nodding sagely behind him, having already pulled out his mobile phone and snapping pictures. Komi snorted and elbowed the taller underclassman in the side.

“An ‘event?’ What are you, sixty five?” he teased. Keiji sighed. He quickly weighed the options before him. Not telling the team why he was here would lead to the following: A) the team being annoying and frustrating and finding out anyway, B) Bokuto getting dejected and wasting all his time to find a good seat, C) the team getting annoyed and upset that Keiji was hiding things from them. The only real consequence from telling them would be mild teasing that would surely die down in a few days. 

The least annoying option was clear. Keiji sighed even deeper. 

“There is an event going on here. It’s a figure skating competition,” he explained. The team perked up, turning their attention to him. Bokuto’s eyes seemed to be sparkling.  
“Oooh, Akaagslkjii! I didn’t know you were into figure skating!” He said, his smile going. Keiji refused to meet his eyes.  
“I’ve only just started getting into it,” he explained, “but I do rather like watching.”  
“Nice!” Komi praised.  
“I’ve watched figure skating on TV before, it’s kinda cool,” Onaga agreed.  
“Those cute, frilly costumes~” Sarukui chimed in.  
“So, are you here to see any skater in particular?” Bokuto asked. “Who is it?”

Keiji reigned in his pride.  
“I am here to see Konoha-san skate.”

There was a beat of silence, and then a snicker. Then two, with a snort. The five boys in front of him then crumbled into peels of laughter. Bokuto gripped his sides, Komi leaned on Sarukui for support, and Washio even looked as though he were wiping tears out of his eyes. Keiji frowned and folded his arms across his chest. 

“No, really, Akaashi, who are you here to see?” Bokuto asked again between wheezes. Keiji stared him down.  
“I’m serious, Bokuto-san. I’m here to see Konoha. He’s skating in this competition today.”

The five boys stopped laughing immediately, and each stared at him in various degrees of wonder, then contorting into shock, surprise, a mild degree of horror, confusion, and excitement respectively as they straightened themselves up.

“Wait, wait, _Konoha’s a figure skater?”_ Bokuto asked.  
“That _would_ explain his absences on Wednesdays and weekends,” Komi realized. “Although, he always said he had to work.”  
“How come I didn’t know about this?” Sarukui complained, which Keiji could understand, since Konoha and Sarukui had been friends since junior high. “I mean, I knew he had a job, but _figure skating?”_  
“He probably didn’t want any of you coming to his competitions and embarrassing him,” Keiji stated, turning away from the group. “Anyway, if I don’t get in line now, then I won’t get a good seat, so, bye.”

“Hold on!!!” Bokuto shouted, stopping Keiji in his tracks. “This is important news! We can’t just stand here!!”  
“What are you--?”  
“Hey, ace, are you thinking what I’m thinking?!” Komi asked, a fire lighting in his eyes. Keiji paled as Bokuto’s expression mirrored his. _Oh, no…_

“Let’s all go!” Bokuto cried, rallying his teammates around him. “HEY HEY HEY!! FUKURODANI! LET’S GO SHOW OUR JACK OF ALL TRADES SOME LOVE!”  
“YES!!” came the enthusiastic response. Keiji groaned. Konoha was going to kill him. Well, on second thought, it was probably a good thing that they were trying to be supportive instead of mocking him. Keiji sighed and let himself smile.

“Well, alright then,” he agreed, motioning for them all to follow him. “We need to get moving though, or we won’t be able to see properly.”  
“YESS!!!!” Bokuto cried, bounding forward and looping an arm around Keiji’s shoulders. “Lead on, Akaagshi!!”

They purchased tickets for seats in the middle section of the arena. It wasn’t as close as Keiji would have liked, but at least they weren’t all the way in the back. And they managed to get a section that faced center ice. He’d have a great view. 

“This is gonna be great, I can just tell!” Komi was saying to Washio, who was nodding in agreement while they waited for Bokuto and Onaga to return with snacks and drinks.  
“Hey, Akaashi,” Sarukui called over to him. “How did you find out about all of this?”  
“Oh, well, Konoha and I went skating at the outdoor rink in the park on Christmas Eve--”  
_“Awwwww!!!”_  
“That’s so cute, I’m gonna vomit rainbows.”  
“-- _AND_ he happened to mention that he took skating lessons,” Keiji continued. “I asked him if it was alright to come today, and he said yes, so here I am.”

“Is he good?” Komi asked. Keiji averted his eyes and thought back to that day, watching Konoha glide over the ice with a smile like an angel was carrying him. He realized too late that he was blushing and stared even harder at a particularly uninteresting tile on the floor.  
“I think he’s amazing.”

Keiji ignored the quiet snickers from Komi and Sarukui and focused his attention instead on Bokuto, who had just returned with his arms full of sweets and sodas.

“Okay!!! Now we’re ready!!!!” He announced. Keiji noticed Sarukui pull out his phone and take pictures as Bokuto led them through the doors towards their seats. He suddenly became painfully aware of how obvious they must all look, still dressed in their tracksuits and Komi leading Washio and Onaga in a cheer. 

“Sarukui, are you taking a video?” he asked, slowing his pace. He saw the telltale yellow icon and white ghost in the corners of his phone screen. The boy grinned in response.  
“This is payback for not telling me what he was really up to,” Sarukui explained.  
“Are you going to be snapchatting the entire competition?”  
“Yup,” he confirmed, “And I’m sending them to him.”

Keiji sighed, hoping Konoha wouldn’t be too mad for letting these idiots join him. There was nothing he could do now. He would simply have to accept his fate. They walked through the stands, the muted din of the crowd leaving a pleasant ring in Keiji’s ears. As they followed their teammates to their seats, Keiji noticed Bokuto waving to him and patting the seat directly to his right. 

“Akaas;ksldjfshiii!!” he cried. “Come sit here! We saved you the best spot!”

Akaashi felt his cheeks redden again as he sat next to Bokuto, with Komi and Sarukui filing in behind him. Sarukui wasted no time in taking about a hundred snaps at different angles of the arena, labeling and filtering them all as he saw fit. Bokuto distributed the sweets and sodas amongst them, and let out loud wolf whistles as soon as he saw any remotely humanoid figure come on the ice. 

“Bokuto-san, please calm down,” Akaashi begged, “it hasn’t even started yet. Those people are just rink staff.”  
“Are we gonna see Konoha at all before it starts?” Onaga asked. “I thought the skaters did warm-ups?”  
“They do, but we’ve probably missed them,” Keiji replied. “Konoha was getting fidgety during the awards ceremony after our match, so I assume it was going on then.”  
“KONOHA MISSED OUT ON WARM-UPS BECAUSE OF US?!?!?” Bokuto raged, startling a few spectators around them. “He should have said something!!! What if he gets hurt!?!?”  
“He’ll probably be fine,” Washio noted from the far right. “He warmed up with us before the match, and did cooldown stretches in the locker room.”  
“I’m sure his coach will drill him before he goes on,” Keiji agreed. “He’ll be okay, Bokuto-san.”

Keiji felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and swiped it open.

\--

Konoha  
Konoha: Hey!! Are u here?  
Me: Yes. I’m facing center ice, kind of in the middle.  
Konoha: Awesome!!!! Should be starting soon. I’m fifth.  
Me: Okay. I’ll be waiting.  
Konoha: Lol I have like 17 snapchat notifications rn and I bet u all of them are from the team.  
Me: I know for a fact they are all from Sarukui and you should not look at them right now.  
Konoha: LOL what???  
Konoha: Okay whatever u say babe ;) <3

\--

“Hey look! Akaashi’s blushing~~” Sarukui teased from the right, earning him a scathing glare.  
“I am not.”  
“Who’re you talkin’ to, Akaashi?” Komi chimed in, earning him a scathing glare too. “Bae up to anything interesting?”  
“Please stop calling him that,” Keiji answered. “He just told me he’s going fifth. And I told him not to look at your snapchats, Sarukui.”  
“What?! My snapchats are golden,” Sarukui whined. “He _needs_ to look at them!”  
“He can look at them after he’s done with his short program.”

Bokuto leaned forward, quirking his already dramatic arched eyebrow in confusion.

“Short program?” he asked. “What is that?”  
“There are two types of routines in skating competitions,” Keiji explained. “A short program and a free skate. The short program goes first, and it is, obviously, shorter in length. It’s also called the “technical program,” because it has all kinds of requirements on skills that have to be shown in the short amount of time allotted.”  
“Wow, Akaashi, you really studied up on this stuff, huh?” Bokuto said with a mischievous glint in his eye. Keiji stiffened in his seat and clenched his fingers into his jeans.  
“N-No,” he denied. “I just did a little google search.”  
“Omg, he really did study!” Sarukui teased.  
“Shhh!!” Komi suddenly shushed them, swatting at Sarukui’s phone as the lights dimmed and the crowd around them began to cheer. “Shut up! It’s starting!!”

Keiji relaxed into his seat and turned his attention to the ice, where the judges were taking their seats. He applauded them politely, as a female announcer read off their names and welcomed everyone to the event. She announced that there would be ten skaters total competing, and that the top five competitors would be allowed to go to the Regional Championship tournament. She then announced the name of the first skater, and he flew from the stands out into the ice.

“Aw, whaaat?” Bokuto whined, wilting beside him. “That’s not Konoha.”  
“Well, yeah, Akaashi just said he was going _fifth,”_ Komi said.  
“He’s not the only one participating in this event, Bokuto-san,” Keiji stated. Bokuto frowned.  
“Hmph, but I want to see Konoha. I don’t care about this if it’s not Konoha.”

Keiji didn’t see the point of trying to engage Bokuto in the other skaters, so he let the captain sulk as the first skater performed his short program, which was set to loud percussive music that Keiji didn’t find particularly enjoyable. He seemed decent, and Keiji applauded politely when it was over. The digital projection screen overhead showed the skater sitting in a booth with what appeared to be his coach and his mother. 

“Whoa,” Onaga breathed. “That guy looks like he’s in my year!”  
“I think he is,” Komi agreed. “That’s so cool!”

The next skater was older, looking to be somewhere in his twenties. He skated to a melodic, classical piece that Keiji found pleasant, if somewhat dull. He and his teammates sucked in a breath as the guy flew into a magnificent quadruple jump, and proceeded immediately to stumble into his next spin combination. 

“Was that… on purpose?” Washio wondered.  
“I don’t think so,” Keiji replied. “I think he landed poorly out of his jump and it messed up the next move.”

The third skater also looked older, and skated what appeared to be a flawless routine that earned him raucous applause from many different areas of the arena, which got Bokuto’s attention.

“What? Why is everyone cheering? Did Konoha come on?” he asked.  
“No, somebody else just did really well,” Keiji explained. Bokuto slouched back forward.  
“Konoha will do better.”  
“Whoa, look at his score!” Komi exclaimed, pointing to the digital screen. “It’s at least ten points higher than the guy before!”

Keiji pulled out his phone and did a quick google search of the skater’s name.  
“Ah, that’s one of the favorites to win,” he explained to his teammates. “The one before was a pretty big name too, but is much older. The first skater appears to be brand new to the seniors division. But this guy is apparently very talented. He’s gone to a lot of big, international competitions before and won.”

 _That_ got Bokuto riled up plenty.

“Who cares?! He’s got nothing on Konoha!”  
“Bokuto-san, you didn’t even watch him skate.”  
“I DON’T CARE! HE’S GOING DOWN!”  
“Please stop shouting, Bokuto-san, the next skater is coming on.”

This time, Bokuto appeared to be drilling holes into the ice with his stare as the fourth skater took his place. Keiji googled his name too, and explained his ranking and skills to the team. He was nineteen, and was climbing the ranks in the figure skating world. He also scored very well on his routine, to which Bokuto booed loudly.

“Bokuto-san, you are being rude.”  
“I want Konoha to win!”  
“Just be patient. The competition isn’t over yet.”

“Look!! There he is!!!” Komi pointed out, leaning forward in his seat. The team leaned forward instinctively, trying to see where Komi’s finger was directing them. Sarukui’s phone appeared to be the first to spot him, as it began clicking rapidly. Keiji sucked in a breath as he caught sight of Konoha’s blond hair from across the rink. He was smiling and chatting excitedly with an older female beside him, presumably his coach, while doing some last minute stretches. He was wearing a black and white jacket and black trousers that appeared to be bedazzled with gold rhinestones, with a tailcoat that looked like it had actual feathers sewn into it. It was well-tailored, hugging Konoha’s frame into a series of sharp angles that cut into Keiji’s chest. 

He looked stunning. Keiji couldn’t bear to tear his eyes away from the image, even though he was almost certain he heard Sarukui’s phone clicking again. The announcer chimed over the loudspeaker:

“The next competitor, from Tokyo, Japan, Konoha Akinori.”

The team leaped out of their seats, whooping and hollering around Keiji as Konoha sprang forward and glided out to center ice. Bokuto let out a shrill wolf whistle that Konoha definitely noticed, and broke his pose for a moment to turn towards. Keiji instantly pulled Bokuto back into his seat and shushed him, his face burning hot. 

“Yeah!!! Konoha!!”  
“Get it, buddy!!” Sarukui cried.  
“Shhh! Be quiet!” Keiji and Washio both scolded at the same time. The crowds around them tittered with a mixture of laughter and concerned murmuring as Konoha seemed to recover from his shock and resumed his opening pose. 

“Oh man, this is so exciting!” Bokuto practically squealed. “Holy shit, look at his costume.”  
“Saru, get a shot of the feathers.”  
“I’m _way_ ahead of you, my dude~”  
“I don’t know any of you,” Keiji affirmed, tuning them out and turning his attention to Konoha. Who had struck a pose that looked an awful lot like the the competitive smirk Bokuto liked to wear when a stupendous (read as: stupid) idea struck him. 

The music that came on was also percussive and harsh, but dramatic and seemed to fit the mood that Konoha was going for perfectly. He swung himself around boldly and dramatically, not missing a single beat as the singer began taking him through what seemed to be a very difficult, aggressive routine.

“Whoa,” Komi breathed from next to him. “He’s good.”  
“Well, _yeah!”_ Bokuto retorted, trying to mask his excitement with a hiss. “He’s our Jack of All Trades! He can do anything!”  
“Psst, Saru. Saru, look at Akaashi!”  
“Omg~”

Keiji stiffened at the sound of snickers to his right and turned, seeing Sarukui’s phone lens trained on him, and two shit-eating grins on the faces of his teammates beside him. Keiji frowned and leaned over towards Sarukui, which caused both him and Komi to emit terrified squeals before Keiji plucked the mobile device from Sarukui’s hands and pocketed it before turning his attention back to the ice.

Keiji held his breath, fingers clenched around the edge of his chair as Konoha flew into his first jump, at which several of his teammates cheered. He landed what looked to be perfectly, and immediately turned and flipped into another jump sequence. Bokuto, Onaga, and Komi got to their feet again and cheered, much to the displeasure of the crowd around them. Sarukui begged for his phone back so he could take a video. Keiji begrudgingly returned it under the condition that he didn't take anymore candids of him. 

Keiji had known before that Konoha could skate, but he had no idea just how _entertaining_ it would be to watch him in competition. The smile on Konoha’s face as he spun, leaped, and kicked at the ice like he owned it, glittering under the lights in that jacket, he looked like he'd already won the whole competition. 

There was a moment when the music quieted, just for a few seconds, and Konoha stretched out his body in a graceful pose as he glided by their section. Bokuto let out another wolf whistle. And just as the music picked up again, Konoha whipped his body around and shot a finger gun right at them.

Right at _him._

He didn't bother shooing away the teasing elbows that nudged both his sides. Keiji was far more preoccupied with not combusting. Or popping a boner right in front of his teammates.

The music began to slow, and Konoha threw himself wholeheartedly into one last jump before sliding into his ending pose. The crowd applauded. This time, Keiji joined the rest of the Fukurodani team leaping to their feet, making as much noise as humanly possible. 

“YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”  
“THAT'S OUR KONOHA!!”  
“GET IT!!!”  
“NUMBER 1!! NUMBER 1!!!”

Konoha bowed politely to the audience, and again to the judges. He turned over his shoulder and blew a kiss up into the stands for him as he left the ice, which succeeded in the bodily combustion Keiji was trying so hard to avoid. The team continued to chant as he exited the ice and got some words from his coach. She led him to the side, back towards the booth where he would receive his scores as the applause died down. 

The team finally returned to their seats, and Sarukui snickered into his phone. 

“What?”  
“Guess who just got all my snapchats?”  
“Oh my God.”

All six of them suddenly received a message, which meant Konoha had chosen to reply in the team’s group chat.

\--

!!!!!!!OWL LYFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!   
Konoha: SARU WHAT THE FUCK  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: Lololololololol ;))))  
Komiyan: Nice costume bro  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: Love the feathers :)  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!!: IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!  
Konoha: I fucking hate u guys.  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: Except u love us <3333  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: Loved the show btw  
Washio: c/  
Onaga: Gr8 job Konoha!!!  
Konoha: WHY R U ALL HERE I ONLY TOLD AKAASHI  
Akaashi: I am sorry. They followed me and I couldn't stop them.  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!!: STOP WHINING AND TELL ME U WON!!!!!!!!

\--

The chat stopped before Konoha could respond, because Konoha’s face had appeared on the large digital screen overhead. Bokuto and Komi cheered again as the scores were revealed.

“Did he win?! Did he win??!?!” Bokuto cried.  
“He's in third,” Keiji calculated. Bokuto let out a dejected sound.  
“WHAAAAAAT???!?! AGKAAKKDKSJSKSHIIII!!! WHY ISN'T KONOHA WINNING??!?”  
“Because two people placed above him, Bokuto-san,” Keiji explained. Bokuto slouched into his chair.

“Well, Konoha was better,” he huffed. “This is bullshit.”  
“Calm down, Bokuto-san, there's a whole other program to get through,” Keiji said. “The free program has less strict guidelines, too, so if he performs like he just did, he should pick up a lot of points.”

This seemed to assuage the captain just barely as the next skater took the ice. Having already seen Konoha’s routine, Bokuto had effectively lost interest, and had pulled out his phone, only paying attention to the scoring. Keiji couldn't blame him, he was finding each consecutive routine following Konoha’s to be rather lackluster. 

“Hey, I'm going to the bathroom,” Sarukui announced. Keiji stood to go with him and asked if anyone needed more snacks or drinks. The pair scooted by the rest of their row and down the stairs. They separated so Sarukui could use the restroom, while Keiji got in line for snacks. As he was waiting, he felt a hand snake around his waist.

“Hey!” Konoha greeted, having changed out of his costume and into his track jacket. He leaned up and planted a kiss on Keiji’s cheek, which only served to turn him red again.

“I am under the impression that you wish for me to burst into flames and perish here, with how much you've embarrassed me today.”  
“Awwwww, you didn't like my little improv?” Konoha teased with a fake pout. Keiji smiled and turned to kiss him for real.  
“I loved it.”

“Ew, get a room,” Sarukui deadpanned, having materialized by Keiji’s side. Konoha’s face contorted into rage and he threw a punch right into Sarukui’s gut.  
“You fucking _bastard!!!_ Don't sneak up on me like that in the middle of a show! Those snaps were _brutal!!_ I almost tripped over my skates going into the kiss and cry.”  
“Yeah, fuck you for not telling me about your extracurriculars, _pal,”_ Saru retorted. “Wait, ‘kiss and cry?’”

“Bokuto is mad that you're not winning,” Keiji interrupted, effectively cutting off Sarukui’s line of questioning.  
“Oh my God, I _knew_ that was him whistling at me!!” Konoha groaned.  
“It was his idea for the team to join me.”  
“Figures.”

“What, you didn't like our support?” Sarukui asked. Konoha smiled and pulled Keiji closer to himself.  
“Nah, it's cool, I just didn't expect you guys to be into this kind of thing. That's why I didn't tell you.”  
“Bro,” Sarukui sighed, placing one hand very sternly on Konoha’s shoulder. “You know I'm gonna be into anything you're involved with.”  
“Yeah, thanks, Saru,” Konoha apologized with a sheepish grin. 

“So, what's the plan for trumping those other two pretty-boys?” Saru asked. Konoha grinned.  
“Oh trust me. I've got the free skate _nailed_ as long as I land all my jumps. I knew I wasn't gonna place first in the short. Those two know harder jumps than I do. But I started working on some new stuff and I've got my double axel down, so I should be good if I can perform.”  
“You definitely can,” Keiji encouraged. Sarukui grinned.  
“Yeah, Akaashi would know. He was staring at you the whole time. And he's been _studying_ \--!!”

This time it was Keiji’s elbow that met Sarukui’s middle, with Konoha snickering behind him. They moved up to the counter and ordered their snacks, moving out of the way of the queue. Konoha pressed another kiss to the side of Keiji’s face before pulling away.

“I have to go get ready for the free skate. You guys can come down for the scoring, as long as you don't break anything,” he said. Keiji giggled, which made Konoha’s face light up with glee.  
“I'll be sure to tell Bokuto,” he replied, waving as Konoha darted back down the hallway. He pointedly ignored the looks he knew Sarukui was giving to him. 

“Stop that,” he scolded.  
“What?” Sarukui replied, throwing his hands up defensively.  
“You’re making that face again.”  
“Yep,” Sarukui confirmed, “because I’m standing next to a guy that makes my best friend really happy.”

Keiji smiled and this time didn’t bother trying to cover up his blush. Keiji passed off some of the load of food and snacks to his teammate before they turned around to make their way back to the stands. As they approached the doors, however, Keiji’s attention was diverted by a loud snort.

“So you’re ‘the boyfriend.’”  
Keiji glanced to the right and noticed the older skater currently in second place standing there. Keiji stopped and narrowed his eyes at the skater. Sarukui slowed and turned around after realizing that he was not following anymore.

“Can I help you?” Keiji asked the skater leaning against the wall. The man shrugged and waved his hand dismissively.  
“No, not really. I was just curious to see who Akinori-kun was running off to, since he mentions you so often. Although, I’m a little surprised to see you up close.”  
“And why is that?” Keiji asked, barely concealing the venom in his voice. Sarukui, recognizing the threat, visibly shrunk behind him, not that the figure skater paid notice. He pushed off the wall and walked up to them, bending forward and inserting his face right into Keiji’s already very small and rapidly shrinking personal bubble. 

“Well, you know, since you’re way out of his league, and all,” the skater stated with a cheshire grin. Before Keiji could act on his already-made decision to dump the entirety of his team’s snack compliment on this man’s disgusting face, a hand grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him back, tossing him against the wall. 

“Oi,” Bokuto snarled, marching right up to the skater and looming over him, his golden eyes flashing with malice. “If you’ve got a problem with my teammates, you should take it up with their captain first.”

He pointed to himself with his thumb, puffing out his chest to make himself look even bigger than he already did. The skater shrunk under Bokuto’s stare. Keiji’s plan ruined, he walked up behind Bokuto and placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping the ace out of his anger.

“Bokuto-san, come on. If we don’t get back, we’ll miss the start of the next program.”

Bokuto backed away from the figure skater and turned towards him, taking the food items and drinks out of his hands.

“Here, ‘Kaashi, lemme get some of that for you,” he offered, which Keiji knew was code for ‘give me something to hold before I slug this guy.’ He wasn’t entirely sure if he would mind the fallout from Bokuto acting on his impulse, though, as the feeling was mutual. Keiji pushed the doors open for Bokuto and Sarukui before turning back to the skater, who seemed to be trying to steady a wildly out of sync heartbeat. 

“Please do your best during the free skate,” he said over his shoulder, his eyes cold as ice. “I’m sure you’ll need all the luck you can get facing Konoha. You know, since he’s way out of your league and all.”

He flashed the skater a wicked smirk, hearing the click of Sarukui’s iPhone lens capturing the moment just before the doors slammed shut behind them. Keiji turned around to find both him and Bokuto ginning at him.  
“What?”  
“Damn,” Sarukui praised. Bokuto barked out a laugh.  
“Did you see that guy’s face?!! He looked like he was gonna shit himself!!!”  
“Yeah, thanks to you,” Keiji stated, the smirk still glued to his features. “Where did you come from, anyway?”  
“Huh? Oh, I got bored waiting for you two to come back with our snacks, so I came to check on you,” Bokuto replied. Keiji smiled at him as they made their way back up the stairs. The three of them redistributed their snacks amongst the rest of the team before sitting down, and Keiji checked his phone for the time, ignoring the now twenty-something notifications hovering over the snapchat icon.

A message suddenly popped up in the group chat.

\--

!!!!!!!OWL LYFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!   
Konoha: Well at least I’m not the only one nervous  
Onaga: ???  
Konoha: Tsuyo looks like he’s going to puke  
Komiyan: Who dat  
Konoha: The guy that went right before me  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: :))))  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: :)))))  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!: :)))))))))))))))))  
Akaashi: Good.  
Konoha: ??????  
Konoha: Oh god please kill me  
Akaashi: What???  
Konoha: [image]  
Konoha: _My fucking costume got ripped_  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: Oh shit!!!!  
Komiyan: SHIT!!!  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!: S H I T!!!!  
Konoha: I can’t wear this I have no costume what am I going to do!?!?!?  
Akaashi: Konoha, calm down.  
Akaashi: Can you wear your other costume?  
Komiyan: Yeah!!! Bring back the feathers!!!!  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!: MORE FEATHERS!!!!!!  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!: #OWLLYFE!!!!!  
Konoha: I could but like  
Konoha: It doesn’t match the mood of my routine at all??  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: Omg B R O  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: U sound like an actual primadonna rn  
Washio: seems like a lot of trouble for one routine  
Akaashi: I think the judges will understand if you wear the same costume, Konoha.  
Onaga: ^^^^^ That  
Komiyan: Omg I just looked at it again lol Konoha y does ur costume look like our volleyball jersey???  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: PFFT!!!  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!: LOL OMG IT DOES!!!  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!: #Bless  
#1 BOKUTO!!!!!!!!!!!: #OWLLYFE  
Akaashi: Konoha?  
Komiyan: ?????????????????????  
✧*:・Saru ✧*:・ﾟ: Dude did u die or somethin?

\--

The chat went silent, and the six Fukurodani boys shrugged amongst each other. Keiji pocketed his phone, hoping Konoha’s costume situation would be fixed before “Tsuyo” found out, as he could imagine the older teen making a big deal out of it. He looked up the other skater again and found it odd that the two apparently called each other by their first names. They must be bigger rivals than the skater had initially let on. 

The lights dimmed, and Keiji’s attention was brought back to the ice. The free skate program was beginning. It appeared that the order of the skaters was to remain the same, as the young beginner skater took the ice again. Keiji drummed his fingers on his knee as the routine started, which grew into his knee vibrating beneath him by the time it was over. Komi noticed, and reached over to still him.

“Dude, chill,” he whispered. “Konoha’s gonna figure something out. It’s gonna be fine.”

Keiji took a deep breath and told himself that Komi was going to be right. Everything would work out. 

The older skater redeemed himself in his free skate program, since he seemed to do relatively well. The third skater, the favorite, appeared to do just as well if not better than his short routine, and once again received a standing ovation from a good majority of the crowd.

“Why’s he gotta be so good?” Bokuto complained. He’d actually paid attention this time, and seemed to be sulking even harder now that he knew what Konoha was up against.  
“My guess is that he’s had a fair few years more to practice,” Keiji replied. “He’s in the prime of his career right now. Konoha only just started skating a few years ago. He’s still trying to catch up to where a lot of these other skaters have probably been at since they were in junior high.”  
“That makes me want him to win even more!!!” Bokuto cried.  
“He’s really good for someone who’s only been skating a few years,” Onaga noted, getting a nod of agreement from Washio on the other end of their line. “Some of these guys start training for this when they’re really young. Like five or six.”  
“He must be a skating genius!” Komi marveled. “Like that first-year setter from Karasuno is with volleyball.”  
“By the way,” Keiji interrupted again, “Konoha did say that we could go down to meet him for the scoring, provided we don’t break anything.”  
_“Bokuto,”_ Komi and Sarukui said together. The captain didn’t seem to care, as his eager face was quickly growing.

Then it was Tsuyo’s turn. As he took his pose on the ice, he made the grave mistake of positioning himself directly in front of the Fukurodani team and looking up in their direction. Keiji mirrored his smirk from before as Bokuto suddenly puffed up again, folding his arms across his chest. Komi was grinning at him like a hungry cat, and Sarukui (of course) had pulled out his phone. Keiji read what he hoped was fear flashing in the skater’s eyes as his music started and he missed half a beat, which caused the team to snicker not-so-subtly. 

Unfortunately, Tsuyo was able to regain his missed step, and make up for the deduction with several amazing and probably very advanced jumps that made Keiji cringe. He only felt marginally better when Tsuyo mistimed the exit of one of his spins, slipping a little and touching the ice. Bokuto let out a loud, ugly laugh at that, and Keiji didn’t feel the need to shush him. He still earned a fair bit of applause at the end, though, which kept Keiji’s emotions regarding him cold. All six kept their eyes trained on the scoreboards as Tsuyo’s scores came out. He’d gotten more deductions than his short program, but he was still in second place. 

“DAMN IT!!” Bokuto shouted, slamming his fist on the plastic arm of the stadium chair. “I really hope Konoha rubs this whole competition in his stupid pimply face.”  
“Speaking of, where is Konoh--a…”

The team turned to look at Komi, who was staring, speechless, at the edge of the rink. He pointed again, and the team once again followed his direction, each of their faces melting into varying degrees of shock as they did.  
“Is that--?”  
“It can’t be…”  
“No way!”  
“It really is!”

“The next competitor will be, from Tokyo, Japan, Konoha Akinori,” called the announcer.

Bokuto leaped out his seat, screaming at the top of his lungs, quickly followed by Komi and Sarukui as Konoha Akinori took the ice wearing his Fukurodani Volleyball Club #7 jersey overtop his bedazzled trousers. Keiji stared at him in complete shock, and would swear until the day he died that the stinging tears at the corners of his eyes were just from dust in the air.

“YEAH KONOHA!!!”  
“WHOOOOOO!!!!!”  
“HEY HEY HEY!!”  
“FUKURODANI!! FUKURODANI!!” the team cheered loudly from the stands, entering into their school’s regular cheer for a good thirty seconds, earning stares and even some echoes from all over the stadium. Keiji smiled and applauded along with them until they finally quieted down and took their seats. Konoha looked like he was laughing from center ice before taking his opening pose. Keiji sucked in his breath, bracing himself. 

The music began, the familiar triumphant percussion giving way to a pleasant melody as Konoha began his routine. Keiji’s heart fluttered as he recalled the steps from their first date, the way Konoha had looked totally open and free, and full of bliss. Seeing him now, with the routine fully polished and under the lights of the arena, it felt almost surreal. Konoha waltzed over the ice, spinning with a flourish that could only have come with the adrenalin of a competition. Keiji smiled, taking a deep breath for his boyfriend out on the ice. Bokuto was bouncing in his seat cheering, while Komi and Sarukui both appeared to be trying (and failing) to sing along with the lyrics. 

The swell came, making Keiji’s heart do flips like it had the first time, in sync with Konoha’s swirling on the ice. And then it came, Konoha taking off for the axel jump he had cursed only a month ago. He seemed to spin even faster in the air this time, landing cleanly. Keiji let out his own small whoop of glee, which caused his teammates to stop for a second and stare at him for only a second before breaking into laughter. Bokuto leaned over and ruffled his hair.

The second half of Konoha’s program seemed to be full of choreography that looked achingly familiar, and the rest of the team noticed. Konoha’s movements were mimicking that of volleyball, starting with simple hops to show off the blockers, moving into a graceful spin that he exited and slid across the ice to demonstrate a clean receive.

“NICE RECEIVE!!!” Komi shouted over the music as Konoha got to his feet and picked up speed. The music swelled again, and this time when it hit its peak, Konoha launched himself into what looked like a difficult jump combination, swinging his arms in a clear mirror of a spike. Keiji cupped his hands around his mouth in time with the rest of his teammates.

“KONOHA, NICE KILL!!” they shouted as Konoha took a speedy loop around the rink, finishing out his free skate with some fancy steps to the return of the triumphant percussion. He spun into his ending pose and froze, his head leaning back, and clearly breathing heavily. He hadn’t stumbled even once. Keiji was sure of it. A flawless performance. The crowd was cheering, and so was the team. Keiji suddenly rocketed to his feet.

“Come on, let’s go!” he hissed, inching his way out to the aisle with his teammates following quickly behind. They rocketed down to the lower level, darting around event-goers that had taken a break from watching and wrapping around to where the booth was located. As soon as they caught sight of Konoha sliding into the booth with his coach, Bokuto started screeching, followed by Komi and Sarukui. The coach leaped to her feet and screamed in horror, but Konoha was prepared. He took Bokuto’s tackle to the ground like a man. 

“Oh god, okay! You’re crushing me, ace,” Konoha wheezed. Bokuto was too busy hooting and cheering to care, but he also solved the problem by scooping Konoha up and getting to his feet, tossing him into the air a little while the rest of the team gathered round, showering Konoha with noogies and light punches to the shoulder. When Bokuto finally let Konoha stand on his own two feet, Keiji slid in close, wrapping his arm around Konoha’s and clasping his hand tightly.

“Akinori-kun! What is going on?!” his coached screeched. “Who are these hooligans?!”  
“Don’t worry, Coach, these are my teammates from my volleyball club,” Konoha answered, bending under the weight of Komi clambering onto his back. The coach looked less than impressed, but allowed them to stay. 

“Dude! You were awesome!!” he praised.  
“I can’t believe you wore your jersey!!”  
“I’m so moved, so blessed… always going to give back,” Bokuto agreed tearfully. Konoha glanced his way, and Keiji responded by squeezing his hand tightly and leaning into him as they sat on the bench.

“You were amazing,” he breathed as they watched themselves huddled around Konoha on the large digital screen. The scores slowly started popping up, and Keiji began to do the math. Komi was bouncing on Konoha’s other side, and Bokuto’s fists were clenched so hard they were white.

“Second,” Keiji calculated, his heart nearly stopping. “You’re in second.”

The whole team burst into another round of hollering and noogies. Keiji pulled Konoha into a tight hug before they were shooed out in preparation for the next group. Konoha led them back to where the skaters’ changing rooms were so they wouldn’t interrupt the next performance, which Keiji could not care less about at this point. Even more satisfying was the fact that they passed right by Tsuyo on the way, and he stared after them like they personally offended him. Keiji made eye contact, smirked, and pressed a kiss to Konoha’s temple that made him turn an endearing shade of pink. 

It was an _agonizing_ wait to the last skater, and during that time, they were introduced to the two older skaters that had performed before Konoha. Both of them seemed like perfectly decent people in comparison to Tsuyo, and even praised Konoha on his routine. The current first-place holder asked about his jersey, and gave a good natured laugh when Konoha explained what had happened.

“Well that makes sense, considering your theme this year,” he said. “I like it!”  
“Theme?” Bokuto questioned, glancing down at Konoha.  
“Oh, uh, yeah, I have a theme for my two routines. Something that connects them and gives me more inspiration when I skate,” he explained.  
“What was it?” Komi asked, having taken up residence on Bokuto’s shoulders.  
“Well, I’m doing ‘victory’ this year,” Konoha explained. “To be honest, I pulled a lot of my inspiration from all my time on the court with you guys.”

They already knew that, but it didn’t stop Bokuto and Komi from getting teary-eyed. The first-place skater placed a hand on Konoha’s shoulder.  
“Well, if that’s the case, then I think you should keep the jersey,” he said. “It’s more fitting.”  
“Agreed,” the older skater stated. 

When the last skater had finished, the rankings remained the same. Konoha joined Tsuyo and the first-place skater on a podium to receive medals. Konoha flashed the silver over his shoulder at them, and the team cheered loudly from behind. 

When they finally boarded a train to take them out to a celebratory meal, Keiji checked his phone, and opened up his snapchat. He flipped through all the pictures Sarukui had taken, saving the most important ones. The first one: of the arena’s outdoors, a filtered picture of the team in their seats, Konoha taking the ice in his first costume, the video of Konoha’s short routine, the filtered picture of Tsuyo looking petrified against the wall, Konoha taking the ice in his jersey, the three separate videos of Konoha’s free skate, and the last picture: a filtered picture of himself and Konoha, with him kissing the silver medal on around his boyfriend’s neck, laying neatly on top of the medal from the volleyball championship.

Konoha leaned into his shoulder, having fallen asleep nearly ten minutes ago. Keiji smiled down at him, bringing his free hand around to gently card through his boyfriend’s hair as they traveled.

He opened up the last image again, and set it as his phone background, telling himself he’d show Konoha later.


End file.
